Union Health Minister Dr Harsh on October 16, 2020 said that the aim of the government is to make India Trans Fat free by 2022, a year ahead of target set by World Health Organization .
The Minister said, Trans Fat, a food toxin present in Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, baked and fried foods, is a major contributor to the rise in non-communicable diseases in India.
Trans Fat is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
What as Transfats?
- According to the World Health Organisation, Trans-fatty acids (TFA) are fatty acids with at least one double carbon–carbon bond in the trans configuration.
- TFA can be produced industrially by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable and fish oils, but also occur at lower levels naturally in meat and dairy products from ruminant animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats and camels.
- Industrially produced TFA are the predominant source of dietary TFA in many populations, particularly in countries which have not taken action to remove industrially produced TFA from the food supply.
WHO and Transfats
- WHO has recommended that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake, which translates to less than 2.2 g/day with a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Consumption of industrially produced trans fats are estimated to cause around 500,000 deaths per year due to coronary heart disease.
- WHO has set the goal of eliminating trans fats by 2023.
To achieve a world free of industrially produced trans fats by 2023, WHO has recommended that countries:
- develop and implement best-practice policies to set mandatory limits for industrially produced trans fats to 2% of oils and fats in all foods or to ban partially hydrogenated oils (PHO);
- invest in monitoring mechanisms, e.g. lab capacity to measure and monitor trans fats in foods; and
- advocate for regional or sub-regional regulations to expand the benefits of trans fat policies.
(Source: AIR and WHO)
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